Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and like consumer electronic devices used in connection with the storage or playback of video programs, such as television shows, movies, and the like, may have a pre-determined and pre-defined amount of storage capacity or memory for use in storing a given amount of video or multimedia program data and associated data or files and the like. Such data may be obtained via various media delivery systems such as transport streams (TS) via Internet Protocol TV (IP-TV), video-on-demand (VOD), and like services provided via network connections, subscriptions and the like or via connection or communication with other devices. The above systems may enable a user or subscriber to record or save a video or multi-media program or like content in storage as electronic data so that the program may be played and viewed at a later time at the viewer's convenience.
Simply for purposes of example, and not by way of limitation, a typical electronic device such as DVR may have a pre-determined amount of internal storage capacity or memory sufficient to store numerous different video programstotaling several to several tens of hours or more of content. Of course, different electronic devices may be designed and manufactured to have more or less storage capacity/memory. Nonetheless, such electronic devices will have a pre-determined and finite amount of storage capacity and will be expected to become or closely approach full capacity at some point in time during normal use.
Further, when a DVR or like device records a video program, for instance via a network connection to a service provider, the DVR will typically automatically record an entire transport stream (TS) associated with the video program. Thus, the video program and all associated content are typically packaged as a single program on a single transport stream (SPTS) with different associated contents identified with different program identification numbers (PIDs). As technology advances, the contents of such video programs are becoming increasing more data intensive and complex having a greater number of associated components. For instance, a video program or component provided in high definition (HD) will require significantly more storage space than regular definition programs and components. Thus, the repository systems of DVRs and like consumer electronic devices for these recordings are also necessarily being provided with expanded memory to handle this greater amount of data.
In addition, it is not only the format (i.e., HD) of the video content that is increasingly becoming more intensive, but also the content with respect to the plurality of associated information. Simply by way of example, and not by way of limitation, the associated information for a video program may include many different language audios, subtitle and/or closed caption information, several different camera angles, different director's cuts/specials, commentary and alternative targeted content. Accordingly, when a user desires playback of such a recording, specific components of the TS or SPTS can be parsed together and presented to the user based on user choice, for instance, audio language, camera angle, and the like. A consequence of recording the entire TS or SPTS is that the recording of this data requires a greater amount of memory or storage space and, if some of the program components of a particular video program are never or only very frequently presented for viewing, such unused components take up storage space thereby limiting space available for additional or future recordings of other video programs.
Thus, regardless of the amount of storage capacity of a DVR or like consumer electronic device, it will likely eventually become full or close to full having recordings of many different programs and associated content having been collected over a period of time. The status of available storage capacity or memory is generally unknown to the user or users of a DVR and is only made known to the user when the DVR or like device provides a prompt or indication to the user with respect to deleting at least some of the currently stored content to make a sufficient amount of memory available for the recording of additional content.
A traditional solution with respect to freeing-up storage space includes providing a list of content to the user so that the oldest dated content is offered to the user as a first possibility for deletion. This typically only occurs when there is lack of space for new content to be recorded. Such memory management systems typically enable the user to mark or lock some content that is not desired for deletion so that the selected content cannot be accidentally deleted. As another alternative, when a DVR runs out of storage space for new recordings, the user may be able to manually browse through a list of the recorded content based on categories and genre folders or the like and manually mark content for deletion.
A problem with the above described techniques for managing recordings is that as the storage capacity of the DVR is increased and the total number and content of files on the DVR increases, it becomes increasing more difficult for the user to route through, remember, and decide which content is to be deleted to make room for new content to be recorded. Accordingly, there is a need for a method, apparatus and system which aid a user in readily and quickly deciding which recorded content among a large amount of content items is to be deleted to free a sufficient amount of memory.